Apartment Drama

I have lived in apartments for over 20 years,all over the country and always with a fine stereo.And whenever this happens I always calmly say that Im sorry about the noise then after I go back inside I turn it up just a little louder so they get the message that I dont care how they feel about my music @3pm or any other time. This will result in 1 of 2 things ...they will stop complaing to you and leave you alone OR they will MOVE! Either way you win. I would not worry about this at all. Play your system!

Tell them you have a hearing disability and would like to get a subwoofer. Bring them in and go on line and see if they like Wilson or Magico. If you throw a whole bunch of confusion at micro managers they tend to go away. Once they find out they can't control you, they will learn to simply live next to you.

I'm an apartment dweller too and mostly try to accomodate my neighbors. I have my speakers spiked to a maple butcher block that lays on the carpet. It's a semi-open baffle design so I have some wool rug carpeting on the wall behind each speaker. I try to remmeber to close all the doors and shut my window.

It also helps that my speakers roll off at around 40 Hz but I still get great tuneful base and my neighbors have yet to complain. There are even times when I forget to close the window and regret indulging my neighbors with my eclectic musical tastes and still no compalints (for the last several years)

Maybe I'm lucky in that most folk realize the compromises of apartment life. Heck, with everything imaginable accounted for, I can go out and clearly hear my music with the window closed and it's not at all loud but that's with single plane glass. Maybe the walls and the steps I've taken are enough. All you can do is try.

All the best,
Nonoise

I would agree that the bass is very probably the issue. Even what seems like a very little to you could very well be a real problem downstairs. I would consider moving to a first floor apartment.